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Overview

Jeffrey A. Drezner is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. He has conducted policy analysis on a wide range of issues, including energy research and development planning and program management, best practices in environmental management, analyses of cost and schedule outcomes in complex system development programs, aerospace industrial policy, defense acquisition policy and reform, and local emergency response. His current research emphasizes issues associated with technology development, organizational behavior, and program management. Drezner formerly served as associate director of RAND Project AIR FORCE's acquisition program and participated in a researcher exchange program in the Pentagon, sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition and Technology). Drezner received his Ph.D. in political science from Claremont Graduate University.

Commentary

While management at the Department of Homeland Security progressed in many areas during the past decade, there is still plenty of room for growth and improvement, especially in the area of acquisition management.

This report identifies the problems and challenges associated with sharing unclassified information within the U.S. Department of Defense and investigates the role of policies and practices associated with such sharing.

This report identifies the problems and challenges associated with sharing unclassified information within the U.S. Department of Defense and investigates the role of policies and practices associated with such sharing.

The authors analyze what motivates defense contractors to determine if better incentives exist to the ones now used, and analyze major defense acquisition programs to see if it is possible to identify programs that might incur a Nunn-McCurdy breach.

For the last decade, the U.S. Army has quickly acquired systems for war. By examining the nontraditional methods used, this study examines how the Army can improve rapid acquisition, focusing in particular on command and control systems.

Concerned with cost overruns in programs that breached Nunn-McCurdy thresholds, Congress directed investigation of the root causes of these overruns, and the authors examine various possible contributors to these breaches.

This paper is intended to help improve Department of Homeland Security acquisition management and oversight by providing a common problem definition, conceptual framework, and recommendations to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Congressional concern with cost overruns in some major defense acquisition programs led to an investigation of root causes in six programs, enabling RAND to develop a methodology for carrying out such analyses.

Concern with cost overruns in major defense acquisition programs led Congress to direct investigation of root causes of programs that breached Nunn-McCurdy thresholds. RAND applied its methodology to Excalibur and the Navy's ERP.

Congressional concern with cost overruns in some major defense acquisition programs led to an investigation of root causes by examining program reviews, analyzing data, participating in contractor briefings, and holding meetings with stakeholders.

The policies and procedures established by the Department of Defense for program management and oversight can be tailored to meet the unique needs of ship acquisition programs without compromising oversight.

This monograph reviews interviews with stakeholders in the U.S. domestic coal-based electricity generation industry and data describing key elements of industry capability and validation or verification of concerns about it.

This report describes the research methodology, focus, and data collection processes of a study of the cost of compliance with acquisition-related statutes and regulations incurred by major weapon system programs at the program office level.

Responds to Senate's concerns that further consolidation in the military-aircraft industry, which has dropped from 11 prime contractors in 1960 to the current three, will pose risks to innovation and cost through limited or no competition.

Assesses two transitions of the HAE UAV ACTD program toward the goal of determining which elements of the program's novel acquisition strategy facilitated these transitions and which engendered problems.

Congress authorized use of Other Transactions (OT) for the development of prototypes directly relevant to weapon systems so that contractors are not required to comply with procurement-specific regulations.

By examining the remediation management programs of two large chemical companies, Olin Corporation and DuPont, the authors identified activities DoD could implement to improve its remediation of thousands of sites at active and closing...

The Arsenal Ship acquisition program was unique in two respects: it represented a new operational concept for Navy weapon systems, and its management structure and process represented a significant departure from traditional military ship-building...

Given present trends toward reduced force size and equipment buys, there is some concern about whether the military aircraft industry will be able to respond in an effective and timely manner to the nation's future defense needs.

This report examines the general nature of prototyping, develops an analytical framework for thinking about prototyping in weapon system development, and analyzes past and present prototyping programs within this framework.

Many managers and executives responsible for weapons acquisition, both in industry and the Department of Defense, argue that regulations are inhibiting the timely and economical development of weapon systems.

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